Debates of 27 Jan 2006

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10:05 a.m.
CORRECTION OF VOTES 10:05 a.m.
AND PROCEEDINGS AND 10:05 a.m.
THE OFFICIAL REPORT 10:05 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10:05 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings for Thursday, 2006. Pages 1 ….. 14?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:05 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to take you back to page 5. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Gender and Children have earmarked on a trip to the Volta Region and the members of the Committee have sought permission and have relayed same to you. The list that came to me includes hon. Chigabatia and a couple of others that I have seen who have been listed as absent without permission; they are in my view absent with permission, so if the Table Office could take it up. [Pause.]
Mr. Speaker 10:05 a.m.
We are not taking any Official Report.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE 10:05 a.m.
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs/ Majority Leader (Mr. F. K. Owusu- Adjapong) 10:05 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Business Committee met yesterday, Thursday, 26th January 2006 and arranged Business of the House for the Third Week ending Friday, 3rd February 2006.
Mr. Speake r, t he Commi t t e e
accordingly presents its report to this honourable House as follows:
Arrangement of Business
Question(s)
Mr. Speaker, the Committee has scheduled fifteen (15) Questions to be answered by various Ministers of State during the week.
The details are as follows:
No. of Question(s)
i) Minister for Energy 5
ii) Education and Sports 5
iii) Minister for Road Transport 5
Total Number of Questions 15
Statements
Mr. Speaker may allow Statements duly admitted to be made on the floor of the House.
Bills, Papers and Reports
Mr. Speaker, Bills, Papers and Reports may be presented to the House for consideration. Mr. Speaker, those which have already been presented to the House may be taken through the various stages of passage.
Motions and Resolutions
Mr. Speaker, Motions may be debated and the appropriate Resolutions on them taken where required. Message on the State of Nation
Mr. Speaker, H.E. the President of the Republic will deliver to Parliament a Message on the State of the Nation on Tuesday, 31st January 2006, in accordance with article 67 of the Constitution.
Conclusion
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order No. 160(2) and subject to Standing Order No. 53, the Committee submits to this honourable House the order in which the Business of the House shall be taken during the week.
Tuesday, 31st5 January 2006.
MESSAGE ON THE STATE OF THE 10:05 a.m.
NATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE 10:05 a.m.
PRESIDENT 10:05 a.m.
Alhaji Sumani Abukari 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the hon. Majority Leader very carefully and I expected that he would make mention of the meeting of the Committee of the Whole. I have not heard anything about that. I suppose it is long overdue; we were made certain promises before we went on holidays and were told that as soon as we came back we would get some good news. The good news has not been received and we do not want a repetition of 2000/2004. So please can the hon. Majority Leader, in the interest of the entire House, tells us when the Committee of the Whole meeting would come on?
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
Hon. Majority Leader, do you have any statement to make on this matter?
Majority Leader 10:15 a.m.
Not now, Sir.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I have just noticed that on Friday, 3rd February, 2006 we have about five Questions slated for the Minister for Road Transport. I thought that since that is the principal business for the day if we could increase the number, because there are so many Questions addressed to the hon. Minister for Road Transport and in my private discussions with him he has agreed that if he is available he is ready to take as many as then Questions for the day, if we agree that he should come to answer these Questions. So with respect to the Chairman of the Business Committee, even though it did not come up, if we agree then we could increase the number of Questions to the Minister for Road Transport.
Mr. Speaker 10:15 a.m.
I am sure this is a matter for the Leadership of the House.
ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTIONS 10:15 a.m.
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT 10:15 a.m.
Minister for Road Transport (Dr. R. W. Anane) 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Old Ningo- Dawa feeder road is engineered. It is about 16.3 kilometres long and is located in the Dangme West District. The road has been awarded on contract in two Phases. Phase 1 which is engineered covers the section from KM 0 to 6 while Phase 2 which is partially engineered covers the section from KM 6 TO 16.3. The entire stretch currently is in fair condition.
The Phase 1 was awarded for surfacing in August 2004 at a contract sum of 3.646

billion for completion in August 2005 with funding from the Road Fund. The project is being executed by Messrs Modern (GH) Builders Limited. The percentage of work completed to day is 7 per cent and works executed to date include the clearing of vegetation and the construction of 3 No. culverts. The payment to date for work done is 126.4 million. The work is far behind schedule and the Regional Engineer has initiated action to get the contract terminated for re-award by the Regional Tender Review Board.

Mr. Speaker, the Phase 2 was also awarded fro spot improvement in December 2004 at a contract sum of 1.332 billion. The project is being funded by Department for International Development (DFID). The contractor on the project is Messrs Kwafet Limited. The percentage of work completed to date is 80 per cent and this includes 12 No. culverts and 200 metre concrete U-drains. The outstanding work which is the gravelling of 2 km section is expected to be completed in March, 2006.

Future Programme

Mr. Speaker, the Ningo Town roads have been programmed for surfacing after the completion of the Old Ningo-Dawa feeder road under GOG funding. Survey and design which was carried out in-house was completed in November 2005.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want the hon. Minister to inform the House when the contract is going to be terminated, that is with Modern (Gh.) Builders, and whether he would be penalised because he has a track record of not doing good work.
Dr. Anane 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, contracts normally are awarded at the regional level by the Regional Tender Boards and
therefore when it comes to termination we have to go through similar processes. That is why the engineer has initiated action towards the termination. I will be in touch with the Regional Minister to see to the facilitation of the termination process. With respect to punishment, Mr. Speaker, I am not able to say anything currently because I cannot pre-judge the contractor, but I hope that what would be found after everything would determine what actions have to be taken.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, about the Phase II, where the contractor is supposed to have finished about 80 per cent of the work, I do not know whether the monitoring team is satisfied with the type of drains which have been constructed there, in view of the fact that, that place is water-logged but the drains are very, very small.
Dr. Anane 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, so far I have not had any negative report from the monitoring unit or the engineer. So I want to believe that the engineers are satisfied with the type of work that has been done. Normally, the engineers give the specifications, and if when the specifications are given the contractor goes by them. I expect that there should be no negative report. But if he has made the observation I would draw their attention to it so that in case there is rain they may go to observe the impact of the rain on what he has done. That may advise further action.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the future programme is tied in to the completion of the 20 per cent of the work which is outstanding and which is supposed to be completed in March, 2006. I want to know the exact date the surfacing of the Ningo town roads would commence.
Mr. E. K. D. Adjaho 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the original Answer as printed on the Order Paper, the hon. Minister indicated that the contractor has been paid 126.4 million. I want to know what is the claim that the contractor has made on the Ministry up-to-date in terms of certificates submitted for work done.
Dr. Anane 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as my hon. Colleague would note, the amount paid is under four per cent of the total quantum of money that is supposed to be spent on the works; and that is what has been certified. The remaining is being certified for payment. Normally, we cannot pay when one does not raise a certificate and it is only when certificates have been raised and have been certified that we make payments. And we are waiting for the submission of invoice before the certificates would be done.
Mr. Adjaho 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, do I understand the hon. Minister to be telling this House that the contractor has not submitted any claim or any invoice and that they do not owe him anything, as he stands on this floor today? Is that what the hon. Minister is telling this House?
Dr. Anane 10:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as far as I know we are waiting for the submission of invoice for processes of certification to be done, for payment also to be done. So far as I am aware we do not currently owe him because he has not gone through the appropriate certification processes for us to say that we owe him.
Mr. Lee Ocran 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the
hon. Minister's Answer, it seems only six kilometers has been awarded for Phase I and the total cost is ¢3.6 billion. Does that mean that one kilometer is ¢600 million? May I know from the hon. Minister whether that is the standard cost of feeder road?
Dr. Richard Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I cannot say that is the standard cost. Generally, cost per unit construction may involve the quantum of works that are supposed to be done, and depending upon the quantum of works to be done, the cost may be commensurate. In this particular case, if you look at Phase I and Phase II, depending on the type of works that are being done, you will find that the six kilometers for Phase I is being done at ¢3.646 billion whereas around ten kilometers of Phase II which is only being done by way of spot improvements is being done at a cost of ¢1.332 billion. So it depends on the quantum of works that we are doing there.
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Question 131, hon.
Andrew R. Mensah, of Parliament for Abura-Asebu Kwamankese?
Mr. David Oppong-Kusi 10:25 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, the hon. Member for Abura- Asebu-Kwanmankese is unavailable and I seek permission to ask the Question on his behalf.
Mr. Speaker 10:25 a.m.
Permission granted.
Moree Town Drainage
Mr. David Oppong-Kusi (on behalf
of Mr. Andrew K. Mensah)asked the Minister for Road Transport what plans the Ministry had for including Moree town drainage in the construction of Moree Junction - Moree road.
Dr. Richard Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
Mr. Oppong-Kusi 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
from the Answer that the hon. Minister gave it is quite obvious that April is just three months away and with only twenty per cent completed it just looks like the contractor is going to delay. We also note from his Answer that the contractor has been urged to expedite action to ensure the completion of the project on schedule. I would like to ask the hon. Minister, what the specific actions and interventions are that will compel the contractor to speed up works and complete on time.
Dr. Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, generally,
within schedule not much by way of punitive measures can be taken. One can only urge the contractor on to ensure that works are completed within schedule. And because we want the works to be completed, we have interacted with the contractor to impress upon him to know that we want the works to be done and to be done within schedule. If he does not show activity, we may continue to urge him on and find other means of making
him feel the pinch of not working within schedule and in our time.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want
the hon. Minister to tell us whether he has caused an investigation to be made into the reasons why the contractor is behind schedule?
Dr. Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, there have
been series of investigations done with respect to the delay in the execution of projects, not only specifically for him (Messrs. Gudmann) but for so many of our projects that are ongoing. And some of them, which are very common to all including him, are that we have seen that they do not really have adequate capacity to execute all the work that they go in for.
Again, they have problems with
procurement of certain inputs for their jobs. In the case of this particular project we want the road to be tarred, but there has been a problem with acquisition of chippings all over the country; and that has been one of our major constraints in completing the surfacing programme in the country. Indeed, because of this the Ministry has to take further action and the Chief Director has been directed to find ways and means of even making it possible, through the contract, to procure the chippings for the contractors so that they will be able to complete their works on time and on schedule.
Sabule-Sora-Mansie Feeder Road
Q. 132 Mr. Yaw Effah-Baafi asked the
Minister for Road Transport if the Ministry had any plans for the construction of the Sabule Sora Mansie feeder road.
Dr. Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the road in
question, from our records is the Wala- Sabule-Sore-Mansie feeder road, which
is 15.3 kilometers long and is located in the Kintampo District. Mr. Speaker, the section from Wala-Sabule which is 7.3 kilometres is engineered. The remaining link from Sabule-Sore-Mansie which is eight kilometers is un-engineered.
The Wala-Sabule section was improved
in 2005 at a cost of ¢727.97 million. The works carried out included construction of nine culverts and sectional gravelling.
The Wala-Sabule section which
has been improved will continue to be maintained under the Department of Feeder Road's routine maintenance programme.
Feasibility and engineering studies are
ongoing on the remaining Sabule-Sore- Mansie link. Based on the outcome of the studies the link will be rehabilitated under Government of Ghana funding.
Mr. Effah-Baafi 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I wish
to find out from the hon. Minister when feasibility and engineering studies for the remaining link started and how long it will take the engineer to complete it?
Dr. Anane 10:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, feasibility
studies for a lot of roads, and in fact, many links like his (Sabule-Sora-Mansie feeder road) were started last year; and the Kintampo District was one of the districts that we picked for such studies to be done. I am unable to specify exactly when the studies on his particular one started but I know that we are doing a lot of studies on many of such links which have been un-engineered but which are being used by the people, especially our farming communities. We hope that by the close of this year we would have finished many of these studies and I am very hopeful that many of these will go through some rehabilitation. If we are able to finish this
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the brkdge is a single lane bridge with overall width of 5.7m. It is a five span reinforced concrete beidge with a atotalk length of 57m. The bridge is on route R126 (Sefwi Wiaso- Akontombra road) at Nswora. The end span towards Akontombra town was damaged due to an articulated truck that run into the side rail and fell into the river channel in July, 2004. The deck/beams and side-rails were damaged.
Current Programme
The damaged section (end span towards Akontombra) is to be repaired this year under the bridge periodic maintenance programme of the Ghana Highway Authority. Bids for the repair works were received on 12th January, 2006 and evaluation and award of contract is in progress. Actual work will start in March,
2006.
Future Programme
There is the need to reconstruct the bridge into a two lane bridge to enable 2 vehicles to pass on the bridge as the bridge is on he highway and traffic volume is high on this road.
The reconstruction will be considered under Bridge Development Programme 5. Project preparation will start in June this year and we hope to be able to put it
Mr. Cobbina 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to know from the hon. Minister - the bridge in question was built in 1931 would the hon. Minister tell the House the lifespan of the Tano Bridge at Nsawora so as to warrant a rehabilitation now.
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as my hon. Colleague, the hon. Member of Parliament has just said, this bridge was built in the 1930s. Mr. Speaker, the Kufuor Administration has been around since 2001. That notwithstanding, we have found it necessary to have a look at it and to have it reconstructed to take care of two vehicles plying it. So Mr. Speaker, I think we have been very proactive in making sure that something was done about this bridge. It is true that the bridge had also been damaged by the vehicle but it is based on it that is why we have had to go through the procurement process, and that is why bids were received in January. And we are going first to repair it and eventually to make it into a two-ply bridge.
Mr. Cobbina 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister whether the rehabilitation will include pedestrian walkway protected with iron bars, for the protection of pedestrians crossing.
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not very conversant with the design for the rehabilitation. But I know that when we do the double lane we will do that. However, I have taken note and I will inform the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to take note of his concern.
Mr. Cobbina 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether the rehabilitation will include axle load and other road signs on both fronts of the road leading to the bridge.
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, fortunately Cabinet has approved an Axle Load Policy
for this country and in all the works that we do the axle load policy is made part of whatever we do. So I am certain that it will be taken into consideration.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated that under the Bridge Development Project V preparation will start in June this year. When will the project preparation be completed because we want to know when something will be done about the bridge? So when will the project preparation itself be completed? Two, three months? One year?
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, last year I had the honour of giving information on the need to look at the bridges in the country, and I informed this House that we inventorized our bridgement and we found that we needed about 5,000 bridges. I went on to say that even that notwithstanding we could only prioritize 1,200 of these bridges, and even that we would not be able to do all of them. So we had to look countrywide to have a look at some of the areas which critically needed the bridges done, and that is why we are doing this preparation. It takes a little time to do the preparation but it is our intention to make sure that we make provision for such bridges to the areas which need them so critically. And therefore, I hope that when it is started we will expedite action. I cannot give off-hand the time when the preparation will be completed but I would want to believe that 12 months will be a long period for this to be finished.
Mr. John Gyetuah 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to find out from the Minister for Road Transport the time-frame for the completion of the repair works.
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we are doing the procurements; we have not completed the procurement process so I am unable to give the time-frame for the completion
of the works. When we finish and if my hon. Colleague is still interested, I will be able to provide him with the time-frame.
Kadjebi-Nkwanta Road
Q.134. Mr. Gershon K. B. Gbediame asked the Minister for Road Transport when the portion of the Kadjebi-Nkwanta road between Dzindziso and Kadjebi would be tarred.
Dr. Anane 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, The 7km long Kedjebi-Dzindzinso section of the Kadjebi-Nkwanta Road forms part of National Route N2, which starts from the Tema Motorway Roundabout through Damanko to Kulungugu. In 1996, the contract for the re-construction of the JasikanNkwanta section was awarded in two phases to Messrs Kassardjan Limited under 100 per cent GoG funding.
Phase I was from Jasikan Dzindzienso, a distance of 24km and Phase 2 from DzindzinsoNkwanta, 54km. Phase 2 was terminated in 2000 due to the Contractor's poor performance with physical progress only 15 per cent. It was then re-packaged into two lots for Donor Support as follows:
DzindzinsoBrewaniase (33km), and
BrewaniaseNkwanta (33km)
5.2: However, funds could only be secured from the IDA for the Dzindzinso Brewaniase section and the contract was awarded to M/S Top Engineering Company of China in 2003 and completed in March, 2005.
M/S. A. Kassardjian could still not complete the Phase I and so in 2001 the contract was terminated. At the time of termination, only 17km out of the 24km had been completed leaving a gap of 7km between Kadjebi and Dzindzinso.
Future Programme

The 7 km KadjebiDzindzinso Road has been re-packaged and will be awarded this year under GoG funding. The BrewaniaseNkwantaOti Damanko section has been programmed for re- construction under the Transport Sector Development Programme (TSDP) now under preparation.

Current Programme

Routine Maintenance Works from Brewaniase to Oti Damanko is being executed by M/S. Samoswag Construction Works in the contract sum of ¢5.22 billion. The road condition is fair.
Mr. Gbediame 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, before
I ask my supplementary question, I want to state that the phase which is awarded to Top Engineering Company did not end at Brewaniase; it ended at a village called Pepeso which is about 15 km from Brewaniase. So I want that correction to be made.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask the hon.
Minister when the Transport Sector Development Programme (TSDP) for the rest of the road is going to commence, as stated in his Answer.
Dr. Anane 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Transport
Sector Development Programme is currently under preparation. Our road sector development programme should have come to an end by June this year, but we have requested for an extension to next year so that we have that length of period to completee ehe preparation of our TSDP for it to start. And therefore, as soon as it starts, all the projects that we have packaged - Because we have to package projects countrywide and we expect that from that time onwards, we should be getting all these projects on course.
Mr. Gbediame 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in 2000
this road, and the Nkonya/Worawora/ Dambai road as well, was awarded to different contractors on pre-finane basis. The Kajebi/Nkwanta/Damongo road was given to Wyss and Fretag. But Mr. Speaker, in 2001 the Nkwanta one was terminated but the Worawora road was re-awarded. I want to ask the Minister what informed his Ministry to terminate that agreement between the Government of Ghana and Wyss and Fretag which was to do the road on pre-finance basis.
Dr. Anane 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure
whether my hon. Colleague took note of my Answer. In my Answer, I said the phase II was terminated in the year 2000 due to the contractor's poor performance.
Mr. Speaker, in 2000 the NPP
Government was not in place; my understanding is that it was terminated as a result of the poor performance of the then contractor.
Mr. Gbediame 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am saying that I had access to documents between the Government of Ghana and Wyss and Fretag to construct that road in 2000 on pre-finance basis. I want to know whether he never sighted any documents at his Ministry between the Government of Ghana and Wyss and Fretag for the construction of that road.
Dr. Anane 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, fortunately
my hon. Colleague is saying that he had a document and he was referring my hon. Colleague is saying that he had a document and the was referring to 2000 as the base year when, as I said, the NPP Government was not in power. But Mr. Speaker, my other understanding was that our partners advised the previous Government about the pre-financing programmes and therefore in 2000 many of the pre-financing projects had to either be terminated or stalled in a way. So I
believe that, that is one of the reasons why the Government at that time had to go slow on the pre-financing programme for that particular corridor.
Mr. Gidisu 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, a portion
of the hon. Minister's Answer confirmed that the first phase of the project was terminated in 2001 with the contractor, Kassardjian. The second phase was awarded to a Chinese company in 2003 but the focus of the Question, the 7km road was part of the first phase. How could we move to phase II without effectively completing phase I?
Dr. Anane 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the
projects are executed one would say, “programmatically,” by programmes. And within a programme we have projects and then within the projects we have quantum of works assigned to particular projects. Therefore, the phase I which was being executed by Messrs Kassardjian was a particular project. The phase II was also another project. One would sometimes talk about lots, but Mr. Speaker, it has been a matter of embarrassment to us because the hon. Member of Parliament is aware that we have had to sit down several times to reason out why the project could not start from the end of the first project. Mr. Speaker, it is because of the packaging that is why the second project, that is, the phase II could not take over the shortfall of phase I because it was not accounted for in the negotiations and in the designing.
So because it was not accounted for in the negotiations and in the designing. So because it was not accounted for, the engineers were unable to let the contractor start from where the previous contractor could not complete, and over the period they have been trying to see how we could get the requisite funding, so to speak to complete it. That is what we have done and that is why it is now being repackaged; and that is why it is going to be awarded
for completion.
Mr. Speaker, I would even go further to
say that to some extent some of us even got furious why nit could not even be awarded as on evaluation to the contractor who was on site but because of the Procurement law the engineers thought they had to be careful and make sure that the right things were done so that no questions could be asked eventually.
Mr. Edward Salia 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I
want to ask my hon. Colleague whether he is aware that the road under consideration was not a pre-financed project.
Dr. Anane 10:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the road we
are speaking about was not pre-financed but the Question posed by hon. Gbediame was about another corridor where he said some pre-financing was being sourced; and according to him he had sighted some documents. But Mr. Speaker, I submitted that I had been informed earlier that a lot of the pre-financing projects were either stalled or stopped by the previous Government on the advice of our partners; and that is what I informed the House of.
Mr. Speaker, so far as I know, the
Kassardjian project was done under Government of Ghana funding, and that I am very sure about.
Mr. Edward Salia 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
in my hon. Colleagues answer he did state that to the best of his information a number of pre-financed projects that were previously awarded were terminated by the previous government on the advice of our donor partners. I want to ask him whether he is aware that this actually did not happen under the ambit of the previous Government but rather, the pre- financed projects were terminated by the NPP Government from January 2001, and
Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon. Member, you have
asked a question; let him answer.
Dr. Anane 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this has
been an area we have been discussing for some time now. Mr. Speaker, my brief in the Ministry was that in l999 and 2000, the Government of Ghana was advised against pre-financing projects because of its implication on our economy. Therefore, a lot of them were somehow stalled -- and that was why I used the word “stalled” advisedly -- and some were terminated.
Mr. George K. Arthur 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
in the Minister's final answer he said the roads from Weyiazi to Kotiamanko - the condition is fair. Then he went on to say that ¢5.22 billion is being spent on routine maintenance. I am wondering why that much is being spent on the road which is considered fair. Is it not a waste of resources or can his Ministry not use that much to construct part of the road which is not yet done.
Dr. Anane 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a major road in the country and it is accessed through the north-eastern part by our eastern neighbours and therefore it is incubent on us to ensure that it is always a motorable road. So, spending ¢5.22 billion to keep it all round motorable or at least possibly motorable year round could not be said to be expensive. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Joseph Y. Chireh 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the Minister's Answer, he said a number of the pre-financed road contracts were advisedly terminated by somebody. I want to know who advised the new Government to terminate these contracts and how many - Which are the roads given on these contracts that were terminated? If he can
Dr. Anane 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would wish that my hon. Friend could give notice to this question.
Mr. Speaker 10:55 a.m.
Hon. Minister, thank you very much for coming to answer these Questions. You are discharged. Item 5 Statements.
STATEMENTS 10:55 a.m.
Mr. William Ofori Boafo (NPP - Akropong) 10:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, a seven (7) member delegation from the Akuapem Traditional Council led by Osahene Offei Kwasi Agyemang IV, Krontihene of Akuapem, on behalf of the Akuapem Traditional Council and in particular the Gyase Division called on you to formally, and in accordance with custom and practice, inform you and the House with regard to the death of the late Oyeeman Wereko Ampem II, Gyasehene of Akuapem and the Chief of Amanokrom which is within my constituency, Akropong constituency. I am therefore grateful to Mr. Speaker for allowing me to make a statement in respect of Oyeeman's death.
Mr. Speaker, Oyeeman was an eminent chief. He was widely respected not just within my constituency, nor the Eastern Region alone but throughout the entire country and even beyond. He can best be described as an elder Statesman and progressive Leader, who when stretched to his wit's and, managed to maintain calmness and focus. Oyeeman did not content himself as a traditional ruler of repute, he became the Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon. Prior to his appointment, the position of the Chancellor had been held exclusively by
Heads of State.
Mr. Speaker, Oyeeman in private life was known as E. N. Omaboe. He was a renowned, talented and pragmatic Economist who had a natural knack for his job. He was also a Statistician. Indeed, he was the first Ghanaian Government Statistician.
It is significant to note that Oyeeman, during the National Liberation Council Administration became Commissioner for Economic Affairs, a position in which he creditably distinguished himself. If ever there was a hard working fellow that excelled and walked the surface of this planet, it was Oyeeman; ever energetic , ever truly humble, ever committed, devoted, loyal and faithful, ever smiling, ever vivacious, ever friendly, ever ready to help and assist without prompting and ever insightful.
If there was any fellow who would respond to the hypothetical question in Proverbs 20:6 which reads:
“Most men will proclaim each his own goodness
But who can find a faithful man?”
That man was Oyeeman. Ever principled and disciplined and ever walked through his promise.
As a result of his excellence in life and his truthfulness, he was the recipient of the Grand Medal of the Republic of Ghana (Civil Division). A devout member of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, he denied himself and picked his cross to daily follow Jesus as enjoined in Luke 9:23.
Mr. Speaker, Oyeeman's life was filled with several sterling achievements both
within Ghana and beyond, and stand as a model for all Ghanaians, young and old. He truly exhibited these qualities both in the public service where he spent a significant proportion of his professional career, and the private sector, where he was equally active after he retired from public service.
Oyeeman was a well known Chief Patron of Accra Hearts of Oak football club. He was the Chairman of Barclays Bank Ghana Limited, ENOA, Lintas Ghana Limited, Reiss & Co Limited and many other corporate bodies and institutions in addition to his own group of companies which contributed to the economic growth of the country. He was a former President of Achimota Golf Club. Oyeeman also served the United Nations in various capacities during his life. Notably, he was Emeritus member and subsequently, Chairman of the United Nations Investment Committee, which manages the UN Staff Pension Fund that stood at approximately USD 26 billion at the time of his retirement, barely a year ago.
Mr. Speaker, as a traditional ruler, Oyeeman was committed to peace, stability and unity among his people, and was extremely keen to foster real development among Akuapem Gyaseman in particular and the Akuapem State as a whole. During his 30 year rule, Oyeeman was noted for initiating and completing several development projects within the Gyase division, of the Akuapem Traditional Area. These were undertaken with support from himself and a wide range of well-wishers and benefactors. Notably, he established an Education Foundation to support the excluded and needy but brilliant and promising pupils and students.
Mr. Speaker, today, a great oak tree has fallen; we have lost a rare gem. Oyeeman
Dr. Francis Osafo-Mensah (NPP - Mpraeso) 11:05 a.m.
Thank you Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this important Statement on the death of Oyeeman Wereko Ampem. Mr. Speaker, Oyeeman was in private life known as E. N. Omaboe. He was a talented and gifted person and occupied many important positions during his lifetime. He was E. N. Omaboe, the statistician, E. N. Omaboe, the top civil servant. E. N. Omaboe, as we have been told achieved the distinction at
being made Commissioner for Economic Affairs during the National Liberation Council (NLC) days.
Over the past few years, I had the opportunity of getting closer to E. N. Omaboe who had then become Oyeeman, the chief of Amanokrom and the Gyase Division of Akuapem State. Getting closer to him, I found him to be a very kind and caring person. He was very much concerned about the welfare of his people and as we have been told, established educational trust for the excluded.
One thing that anybody who knew him and especially the friends of Amanokrom who attended the celebration of the Odwira festival at Amanokrom would remember the pomp and pageantry that he exhibited and the nature of the Odwira festival at Amanokrom itself. Here he brought his training, his experience in life to chieftaincy. Seeing him at Odwira reminded one of a great chief and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or a regent. He epitomizes the head of a big enterprise, that is the Amanokrom enterprise. It was his policy to outdoor a development project each Odwira festival and give account of what has been done in the state during the previous years. The Amanokrom people and the Akuapem state have lost a great leader. Ghana has lost a great son. May the Almighty God grant his soul a comfortable resting place.
Minister for Water Resources, Works
and Housing (Mr. Hackman Owusu- Agyemang): Mr. Speaker, my sincerest thanks go to you for giving me the opportunity to also add my voice to the rather moving tribute paid to this great son of this country. I had the rare privilege of working with Oyeeman Wereko Ampem II when he was the Government Statistician and when I was a young agricultural economist and statistician in the Ministry of Agriculture. Then fortuitously, when I
MR. SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
Majority Leader/Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (Mr. Owusu- Adjapong) 11:15 a.m.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the tribute.
A lot has been said about this great son of the country and I would only want us to recognise Nana Wereko Ampem as a golfer. It is well known that he was a sports enthusiast, having been heavily involved in Accra Hearts of Oak. But I only want us also to recognise him as a golfer. Even in the last days, Nana would ensure that he came very early in the morning, played the golf game, went back home, relaxed, and joined us at the Awards Ceremony. It means, he would take full part in the programme, not those who would just come to hole 19 to enjoy the booze and any other thing.
I believe that we should learn a bit about his involvement in golf and encourage as many of our hon. Members of Parliament as possible to also take to this exercise.
Mr. K. K. Mensah (NPP - Amansie West) 11:15 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Oyeaman Wereko Ampem, popularly called E. N. Omaboe.
Oyeaman, chief, philanthropist, economist, statistician, statesman, economic consultant - I had the distinguished honour of serving under him in the Ministry of Economic Affairs as an Assistant Economics Officer in 1968 when he was the Commissioner of Economic Affairs.
He also served as my Lecturer of Economics in the University of Ghana in the 1960s. Indeed, I am honoured
to say that hon. E. A.Owusu-Ansah, Deputy Attorney-General and Member of Parliament for Kwabre West was one of his students. So was hon. Nana Akufo- Addo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, hon. Grace Coleman, Chairman of the Finance Committee and my humble self, K. K. Mensah. We were few of the 50 or more economists he taught in the university of Ghana at the time.
Nana Wereko Ampem had the distinction of being a referee for me when I joined the bank in 1973 and I am happy to say that he was both a friend and a mentor. Nana da yie. Rest in peace.
Mr. B. D. K. Adu (NPP - Okere) 11:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity granted me to pay a tribute to my chief.
Nana Wereko Ampem, chief of Amanokrom, Akwapim, was an economist par excellence. Nana succeeded in all his endeavours. He was one of the economists who took risks and succeeded. As many of us are aware, many economists fear to take risks but he boldly did take risks and succeeded in all his endeavours. Nana was the chief of Amanokrom, Akwapim, and also belonged to the royal family of Osu, Accra. This may not be known to many of us and I believe because of the two parts, it made him to be a genius in all things.

I was one of his ardent admirers. At a distance I admired him. When he was the Economic Secretary of the National Liberation Council (NLC), I did admire him. I will say I am more or less modelled on his economic aspirations.

The legacy that Nana Wereko Ampem has left should be jealously guarded by the people who love Akwapim, especially

the people of Amanokrom and Ghanaians as a whole. I pray his successor will be able to continue with the good work that he started and more especially, that his children will be able to husband the empire which he set up.

Mr. Speaker, this is a great man we are paying tribute to this morning and my prayer is that, his soul will rest in perfect peace.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:25 a.m.
I will take one last one from the hon. Deputy Minister for Road Transport.
Deputy Minister for Road Transport (Mr. Magnus E. Opare-Asamoah: Mr. Speaker, I would like to also contribute to the tribute that is being paid to Oyeeman Wereko Ampem, otherwise known in private life as Mr. E. N. Omaboe. He was an eminent, respected, progressive visionary, dynamic economist and statistician. He was also chief of Amanokrom and Gyasehene of the Akwapim Traditional Area under which my constituency, Aburi/ Nsawam consti-tuency also falls.
I would like to look at Nana Wereko Ampem as a chief and his contribution to the development of Amanokrom as a town. My grandfather happens to come from Amanokrom but I have lived in Aburi all my life so I know very little about Amanokrom. But I have had the chance of going to Amanokrom during Odwira festivals, and every year, Nana Wereko Ampem had something to open. He has built a market, a library, schools, a community centre and done a lot for Amanokrom.
Current ly, there i s a hous ing development going on at Amanokrom and he is doing this to attract people to come and live in Amanokrom so that they can come to work in Accra. The Amanokrom landscape has changed considerably because of the dynamism
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:25 a.m.
Hon. Members, Nana Wereko Ampem undoubtedly acquitted himself as a true statesman, and I would invited the House to rise and observe a minute's silence in honour of the departed soul.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

Hon. Members, we would take one more Statement. The hon. Member for Ahafo-Ano North, hon. Owusu Frimpong. If you are ready with your Statement you can take it.

Underground Waterproof Combustive Waste Dump (UWCWD)
Mr. Kwame Owusu Frimpong (NPP - Ahafo Ano North) 11:25 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to make a Statement on underground waterproof combustive waste dump (UWCWD) - a way forward for safe sanitation and sound clean environment.
Mr. Speaker, it is a common statement that cleanliness is next to godliness.
In Ghana refuse disposal has become a huge problem confronting communities and that is regardless of their sizes.
A walk around the cities and big towns depicts pictures of garbage and refuse in containers left uncleared for days. For the small settlements, one is welcomed either by heaps of garbage or bid farewell to by hordes of flies since the location of garbage dump is at the point of either entering or departing the built-up area.
Mr. Speaker, the total volume of garbage generated in Accra per day is estimated at 1800 metric tones. Out of this, 1200 metric tones (67 per cent) is disposed of leaving 600 metric tones (33 per cent) uncleared each day.
In Kumasi, about 850 metric tones of refuse is generated daily with some 595 metric tones (70 per cent) being disposed of thus leaving 225 tonnes uncleared.
The obvious consequence is that before one week runs out, a huge pile of garbage has built up in Accra, Kumasi and the other big towns.
Mr. Speaker, the problems and impediments facing refuse collection contractors are numerous and Herculean. These include but are not limited to -
Inadequate logistics; that is vehicles and containers;
Financial constraints, partly as a result of irregular payments by Assemblies;
Delays in new contract formulation;
Low public participation and refusal to pay for services; and
Lack o f pub l i c i ty and l aw enforcement support.
Mr. Speaker, the cost of one refuse truck is estimated at 120,000 US dollars.
The number of people who work on a refuse truck is at least three (3). This includes the driver and two labourers who on the average are paid about six hundred thousand cedis per month after all deductions.
In Accra, there are two dumping sites namely Oblogo Landfill Site located about 15 kilometres from the city center and the Teshie-Nungua Compost Plant located about 18 kilometres from the city center. In Kumasi, the dumping site is at Dompoase.
Mr. Speaker, it is common knowledge that the acquisition and use of dumping sites are usually fraught with constant wranglings and obstruction from people around the site and these primarily are due to incessant characteristics associated with dumping sites, particularly unsavoury odour and infestation of mosquitoes and flies. It is for these reasons that dumping sites are becoming scarce commodities and, when they are available, are situated at considerable distance from the center of the garbage generation.
Mr. Speaker, disposal and dumping of garbage has become a cyclic and inter- twined problem, which needs strong, frantic and concerted efforts to break, for leaving 30 per cent of garbage uncarted is dangerous to the health of the citizenry.
One answer to surplus garbage is the construction of Underground Waterproof Combustive Waste Dump (UWCWD) at every available open space or sites near existing refuse collection points in Accra, Kumasi and such other settlements.
Mr. Speaker, UWCWDs are manholes of suitable, appreciable and different sizes walled with burnt bricks with perforated hanging platform for the bottom, which will allow liquid to drain down from
garbage.
The UWCWDs are made waterproof by fixing a moveable metal cover, which is rustproof and fire resistant. Such cover can be opened and closed to receive and burn garbage respectively.
Mr. Speaker, garbage or refuse when well managed can serve as organic manure but due to mix up of toxics and other materials especially plastics, the residue or ashes of the garbage can be removed and used as constructional fillings if not suitable for organic use.
Mr. Speaker, the UWCDWDs for a start will serve as a solution to the mounting surplus garbage. With no more problem of surplus garbage, normal principal garbage can be transferred to the UWCWDs thereby solving the problem of transporting garbage to distant land fill sites.
In this way, the Speaker, maintenance of vehicles and containers will be minimal since the load of work will be light. Mr. Speaker, The Daily Graphic of 6th October 2005 reported of the problem of plastic waste on the environment and featured plastics that had found their way into the sea after torrential rain and had been brought back to the shore after high tide. It was a veritable eyesore.
Mr. Speaker, there is an urgent need to rid the environment of filth, refuse and garbage and the place of no return for garbage is the soil, inside the soil where the garbage is burnt into ashes.
Mr. Speaker, Underground Water-Proof Combustive Garbage Dumps (UWCWD) is the answer to the eradication of filth, refuse, and garbage from Ghana so let us embrace it. One only hopes that the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) which has earmarked Saturday, January 28, 2006 as an environmental cleanliness day will
Mr. Lee Ocran (NDC - Jomoro) 11:35 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Member for Ahafo Ano North, Mr. Owusu Frimpong. The hon. Member is a friend of the Committee on Environment, Science and Technology; he takes environmental issues very, very seriously.
Waste disposal is a major problem for the managers of our towns and cities. Waste disposal sites do not only create environmental hazards; they distort the aesthetics of our towns and cities. The odour from waste disposal sites or landfills is such an unpleasant thing that I always ask myself, what are we going to do to solve this problem? We do not have this problem in developed countries, but here it is a major problem in every town and village. As the maker of the Statement said, people have developed the habit of disposing waste at the “thresholds” of towns and villages.
The first site you come across when you enter a village is a waste disposal site. So any new method that would help us bury waste into the soil is not only welcomed but is also very, very helpful because burying waste into the soil will help fertilise the soil. You are killing two birds with one stone; you are disposing unhealthy and unpleasant site and at the same time fertilising the soil. This idea, which I will call, bushfire tactics of disposing does not help. One campaigns and whatever do not help us in anyway. Let us look at new ways of disposing wastes and cleaning our cities.
I hope my hon. Friend who made
the Statement would meet the Select Committee on Environment and Science and brief us properly so that we in turn would recommend this to the various Assemblies. We can also recommend this to the Ministry of Environment and Science so in turn would ask the relevant agencies within the Ministry to work on that system and improve it so that other towns, villages and cities would adopt this method to dispose of wastes.
On this note, Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with the Statement.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (NPP
- Suame): Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to associate myself with the Statement made by my hon. Colleague from Ahafo Ano North. Mr. Speaker, I believe that apart from the rather unsightly scenes that garbage dumps constitute in our settlements, the other more important or serious consideration is the health hazards that they pose to our citizens such that at the end of it all Government has to spent so much importing curative medicine to fight malaria and so on, which are all attributable to the filth in our society.
Mr. Speaker, what is going to happen in Accra tomorrow as has been mentioned by my hon. Colleague, hon. Lee Ocran is useful, but indeed, it does not provide a long-term solution. I do not know, but if it is a one-off matter then it is even worse. Perhaps you could institutionalise it, making it say, a monthly affair. But if we do then unlike what obtained in Nigeria sometime ago where on the last Saturday of every month -- They would collect the refuse, dump it at the road side, no vehicle came to carry them and with the least downpour of rain, it went back into the gutters once again; it was like nothing had happened.
Mr. Speaker, I want to believe that that
Mr. Lee Ocran (NDC - Jomoro) 11:45 a.m.
is not what is going to happen tomorrow in Accra and that whatever is done, the filth that is taking from the gutters would indeed be carried away from the sides where they are put so that they are not washed back into the gutters with the least downpour. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Colleague has talked about burying wastes, burying garbage. That may be one of the ways forward, but some two years ago when we went to Shanghai - And Shanghai has a population of over 20 million and yet it is a very clean city. Twenty million people living in one city, the whole of the population of Ghana put into one city and yet they are able to manage to the extent that one does not see anything - not a piece of paper on the streets of Shanghai with that population.
Mr. Speaker, as we were made to understand, there are two disposal sites, factories that recycle the wastes, turn them into compost, use them to fertilise their agricultural lands. We do not do that here and yet the wastes that we churn out, most of it apart from the recent development of having these plastic additions, the plantain husks, the peels from banana and cassava, these are not really metallic; the solid wastes that we churn out, Mr. Speaker, are biodegradable and they can easily be turned into fertilizer and compost to fertilise our land. We spend so much importing fertilizers into our system which we do know does not even compare, in terms of fertilising the soil, with these natural products. I think that this is one way we as a nation should look at in disposing our refuse.
So Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with the Statement and I believe that we should look not only at the proposal that has been made by the hon. Colleague but also at how to effectively recycle the wastes that we generate in our cities and towns. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr. S. K. B. Manu (NPP - Ahano
Ano South): Mr. Speaker, I also rise to associate myself with the hon. Member who made the Statement on waste disposal in this country. As has been canvassed by earlier contributors, waste disposal in this country has been a problem with us since days of old. Mr. Speaker, if you go to any town or village, refuse dumps have become eyesores as clearly indicated by the hon. Member who made the Statement.
The hon. Member for Suame, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also talked about the hazardous effects of waste dumps in our cities, towns and villages. Mr. Speaker, it is not only the diseases, the flies and the mosquitoes that breed in those dumps. Mr. Speaker, here in Accra, around Teshie you would see refuse dumps being the feeding grounds for pigs and other household animals and these animals, after feeding on these filthy elements, find themselves in our pots and we eat them and enjoy them and think we are eating good meals. And at the end of the day we find ourselves in Korle-Bu hospital with diseases and we cry out that Government has not brought in medicines to cure us.
Meanwhile we put the refuse there and allowed the pigs and the goats to go and feed on that before we killed them and cooked them to eat.

Mr. Speaker, recently you heard about Ahafo Ano South in the news; though I am not proud about this I still have to mention it and it was nowhere other than a community called Domeabra where I happen to come from. Mr. Speaker, a strange disease broke out there and claimed the lives of some people, including a very, very good friend of mine called Awaye and a Zonal Coordinator of the National Disaster Management
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:45 a.m.
On a point
of order. Mr. Speaker, I overhead my hon. Colleague say that an event happened at Domeabra where he happens to come from. Mr. Speaker, the operative word is “happens”. He does not happen to come from there; he indeed comes from there. Mr. Speaker, if he says he happens to come from there it means that it is an accident of birth and that is a very serious statement.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon.
Majority Chief Whip, that is no point of order at all. Hon. Member, please continue.
Mr. Manu 11:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to contest him on his understanding of what I said.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:45 a.m.
You do
not need to comment on it; he has been ruled out so go ahead.
Mr. Manu 11:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just leave
it there. Everybody knows that I come from that place; if that is what he wants, I come from that place. The disease, as I said, claimed two lives, one of whom was a very good friend of mine and a NADMO Zonal Coordinator.
Mr. Speaker, this disease, according to health experts, came about as a result of our dumping of refuse wrongfully at a particular place where when it rained the rains carried the refuse from to the streams from which the people fetched water as a result of the broken down boreholes of the town which in fact I have caused to be repaired now. Mr. Speaker, what I am saying is that if we do not take care
Mr. E. T. Mensah (NDC - Ningo/ Prampram) 11:45 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement on the floor and make a proposal for consideration by this House. For the past three years let us go through the Hansards and we will find several Statements on this subject sanitation. The Statements are made here, we discuss them and then they remain here. What I want to suggest we do is for the Chair to refer this to the Select Committees on Local Government and Rural Development and Environment to develop it further and come out with a plan of action.
We in this country always want to reinvent the wheel. There is this issue about general clean up; it did not start yesterday. I remember when I was a child and we had no equipment, we were doing it on weekly basis. We were comman-deering tipper trucks and getting people involved, but once we were doing that we were preparing the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to handle the subject matter hence the creation of the Waste Management Department which has currently been crippled. What we need to do is to go back to the drawing board. Let us look at the Waste Management Department and equip it properly because all the things that we are talking about cannot be handled by just people moving out there. When we send them out and they collect the refuse what happens after that?
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:55 a.m.
When we talk about waste management, you either use landfill or composite or incineration. All the cities that we are talking about have the three
and so I would want to suggest that we empower Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the other Assemblies to be able to deal with the waste. And I have said it time and again, we have institutions in the various villages like the Public Works Department (PWD) which was set up by the colonialists for a purpose.
They are there; there are engineers there; they are being paid. Meanwhile, we have the District Assemblies also sitting out there which have all the responsibilities according to the Legislative Instrument (LI) but they do not have what it takes to be able to deal with the problems that we are talking about. If we want to deal with sanitation issues we must control development - development control is so important. Today as we sit here, people have built in all the open spaces.
Spaces which have been provided for refuse dumps and sanitary purposes have all been encroached upon. Only yesterday I called AMA; when you go to the Airport West the shoulders of the flood water waste have all been converted, people are building on it seriously and nobody is dealing with the issue.
So at the end of the day, when we even want to desilt the drains, where are the machines going to be parked to desilt the drains? All these provisions have been made and nobody is doing anything about them. Development control is so important. There is the need for a holistic approach, we need to have building inspectors in all the cities in the districts, we must ensure that the school sites are not encroached upon. Go to Accra today, almost all the school sites that we have which were protected over the last 20 years, people are building with careless abandon and nobody is doing anything about it. So the end product of the indiscipline and lack of development control is what we are seeing. That is what we are seeing all
Papa Owusu-Ankomah 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker,
I think the hon. Member and ex-Minister and ex-Mayor of Accra is misleading the House. There is a criminal offence of nuisance. But there is nowhere in the criminal code which says that you must clean the drainage in front of your house and clean the middle of the one adjacent to your house. We have nuisance, yes, but certainly that is not the definition for nuisance; he should correct himself.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, on
Tuesday I will bring him - I am talking about something on nuisance, I will let him have it - Act 296, he could go through it and then - [Interruption.] - No, no, the bye-laws came out of it but the Act is there. I am telling him, Act 296, that one cleans his drains -- [Interruption] - Yes, it is there, I am telling him Act 296 - [Interruption.]
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Order!
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:55 a.m.
The fact that he is
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Order!
Speak to the Chair.
Mr. E. T. Mensah 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, what
I am saying is that there are laws in this country and when the laws are enforced people will sit up. When we did this clean up, we got to a point where we sent letters to all the shops in Accra and drew their attention to the laws that it is their responsibility to clean their environment, and then we sent out people to go and monitor. We sent out people to go and monitor, they were being sent to court, so the people themselves hired people to clean the place.
Government's role is to ensure that the laws are enforced. So let us look at that, otherwise what we are going to do tomorrow and subsequently is not going to help us because economically it is even going to cost us. People are not going to work up to about 12.00 o'clock and we can imagine how much would be lost by people not working till 12.00 o'clock. Many of us work during the week and weekends we want to go and shop and - Mr. Speaker, we have been through this.
So I want to end here by strongly recommending that figure out how to strengthen our institutions to be able to monitor the laws for us to move forward.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
I will take one more contribution from the Deputy Minister for Education and Sports.
Mrs. Angela Baiden-Amissah (NPP
- Shama): Mr. Speaker, I rise to add my
voice to the contributions made so far on the disposal of waste in this country, especially in urban areas such as Accra and Kumasi. Mr. Speaker, just this morning, on my way to Parliament I passed through the road leading to the Cedi House very close to the Accra Polytechnic and I realized that somebody had just got up from his house and poured garbage at the side of the road, the very busy road -- a place where workers normally pass. And the question that I asked myself was, was this done by somebody who is insane or was it a normal being who might have done it? I just could not understand how somebody could have just got up from his house to pour - And it had been lined up along the road, and looking at the materials you could see that they were brought from a home.
Mr. Speaker, it looks as if some people in Ghana do not know the effect of waste or effect of filth on health and for which reason some of our women who even sell at market places sit behind garbage containers and sell cooked dishes. Mr. Speaker, being a woman sometimes I am moved to ask why they are sitting where they are and what they tell me is that they do not have any other place to sit and for which reason they decide to sit at places which are not convenient and conducive to what they are doing. Mr. Speaker, this is because they lack sensitization and education. I am very happy that AMA is going to undertake this aspect of life which I consider very important and I urge all and sundry and even Members of Parliament (MP), Assembly Members and all women in the Accra metropolitan area to join in this exercise. I believe that when MPs join in people would see the need, the importance of it and actually make sure that they keep their environment clean for better health for all of us in the country. Because if there are mosquitoes they do not bite only the person who is causing
the mess but they go round biting all of us. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Hon. Members, undoubtedly, the issue of waste management is a troubling one for this nation and I would think that leadership should liaise with the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Environment and Science, Tourism and Modernization of the Capital City to come with a very practical, effective and lasting approach and proposal for the resolution of this problem. I believe that if we have such a statement it will be the basis for further discussion and probably a solution to it.
Now at the Commencement of Public
Business, I presume that item 6 (a) (i)-(iv) are not ready, is that the case?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:55 a.m.
Yes, Mr.
Speaker, I should think that we can take 6(b), but (a) (i)-(iv) definitely are not ready; so we can take (b).
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Very
well.
rose
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Yes,
hon. Member for Bawku Central, any problem?
Mr. Ayariga 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you look
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Hon.
Member, you have raised the issue, we will give ourselves 10 minutes, and after 10 minutes if we have reasonable grounds to think that we have no quorum then we take a decision.
PAPERS 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Second Deputy Speaker 11:55 a.m.
Any advice?
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, we have a tall order of activities but unfortunately many of the documents are not ready. And today being Friday I accordingly move that this House do adjourn until Tuesday next week at 10.00 in the forenoon. Mr. Speaker, I believe my hon. Colleague is satisfied, we did not even spend 10 minutes.
Mr. Lee Ocran 11:55 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise
to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 11:55 a.m.